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The Financial Times and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today announced the winners of the 2010 FT Sustainable Banking Awards, with Co-operative Financial Services of the UK named as Sustainable Bank of the Year and Itaú Unibanco of Brazil taking the overall Emerging Markets prize

Now in their fifth year, the awards recognise banks and other financial institutions that have shown leadership and innovation in integrating social, environmental and corporate governance considerations into their operations.

The awards were presented at a gala dinner in London attended by more than 250 senior bankers and decision-makers in the area of sustainability. Dr Mo Ibrahim, Chairman and Founder, Mo Ibrahim Foundation, and Founder, Celtel International, was keynote speaker at the dinner. The event followed a one-day Sustainable Banking Conference organised by the Financial Times and IFC.

The 2010 winners and runners-up in each category are:

Sustainable Bank of the Year

• Winner: Co-operative Financial Services, UK
• Runner-up: HSBC, UK

Emerging Markets Sustainable Bank of the Year

• Winner: Itaú Unibanco, Brazil
• Regional winner Africa/Middle East: Nedbank, South Africa
• Regional winner Asia: BRAC Bank, Bangladesh
• Regional winner Eastern Europe: Industrial Development Bank of Turkey (TSKB)
• Regional winner Latin America: Itaú Unibanco, Brazil

Achievement in Basic Needs Financing

• Winner: One Acre Fund, Kenya
• Runner-up: Acumen Fund, US

Achievement in Banking at the Base of the Pyramid

• Winner: Financial Information Network and Operations (FINO), India
• Runner-up: MicroEnsure, UK

Sustainable Investor of the Year

• Winner: Global Environment Fund, US
• Runner-up: Calvert Foundation, US

"We are seeing a much greater commitment by financial institutions in both developed and emerging markets to make sustainability a core part of their business. The quality of this year's awards entries reflect this commitment and the winners and runners-up announced today are leading the way", said Martin Dickson, Deputy Editor of the Financial Times and co-chair of the awards judging panel. "Broadening financial services to the poor and helping to raise living standards around the world is good for business and good for the global economy", said Lars Thunell, IFC Executive Vice President and CEO. As these award recipients demonstrate, an increasing number of financial institutions recognise that and are finding innovative ways to expand access to finance and improve the environment.

The judging panel narrowed down the entries to a short-list of five institutions for each category of award - and three banks for each regional sub-category under Emerging Markets Bank of the Year - before selecting the overall winners.

The judges were:

Martin Dickson, Deputy Editor, Financial Times (co-chair)
Rachel Kyte, Vice President, Business Advisory Services, IFC (co-chair)
Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Chairperson, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations
David Harris, Head, Responsible Investment, FTSE Group
Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President and CEO, Women's World Banking
Richard Laing, Chief Executive, CDC Group Ltd
Herman Mulder, International Sustainable Development Advisor
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Leading consultancy Sustainable Finance Ltd, a subsidiary of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, was technical advisor for the programme.